Navigating technostress: a deep dive into health practitioners' technological challenges in hospital settings

Background and purpose: Despite the increasing integration of information technologies in healthcare settings, limited attention has been given to understanding technostress among health practitioners in hospitals. This study aims to assess the prevalence of technostress creators among health practitioners and explore potential factors contributing to its occurrence, with the ultimate goal of informing strategies to mitigate its impact.

Method: Data were collected through a validated questionnaire administered to health practitioners at Tehran Apadana Hospital in Iran. The questionnaire encompassed demographic information and technostress assessment items. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software to examine the relationship between technostress levels and demographic characteristics.

Findings: The analysis revealed that approximately 41% of health practitioners experienced medium levels of technostress, with 36% reporting high levels and 23% reporting low levels (χ2F = 55.4; p < 0.001). Notably, technology uncertainty emerged as the primary driver of technostress, followed by techno-overload, techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, and techno-invasion. Surprisingly, no significant relationship was found between technostress levels and demographic characteristics.

Conclusion: The study underscores the pressing need to address the prevalent medium to high levels of technostress among health practitioners in hospital environments. By shedding light on the key stressors and their distribution, these findings can inform human resources management strategies within healthcare systems to effectively support practitioners in navigating and managing technostress challenges.